Subtle Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease-Type Pathological Changes in Cerebrospinal Fluid are Common Among Neurologically Healthy Subjects

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Haapalinna, Fanni^{a; *} | Kokki, Merja^b | Jääskeläinen, Olli^a | Hallikainen, Merja^a | Helisalmi, Seppo^a | Koivisto, Anne^{a; c} | Kokki, Hannu^d | Paajanen, Teemu^e | Penttinen, Janne^a | Pikkarainen, Maria^a | Rautiainen, Minna^c | Soininen, Hilkka^{a; c} | Solje, Eino^a | Remes, Anne M.^{a; c; f; g} | Herukka, Sanna-Kaisa^a

Affiliations: [a] Institute of Clinical Medicine – Neurology, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland | [b] Department of Anesthesia and Operative Services, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland | [c] Department of Neurology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland | [d] Institute of Clinical Medicine, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland | [e] Research and Service Centre for Occupational Health, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland | [f] Medical Research Center, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland | [g] Research Unit of Clinical Neuroscience, Neurology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Fanni Haapalinna, Taivaanpankontie 16A, 16 70200 Kuopio, Finland. Tel.: +358 40 513 1129; E-mail: fanni.haapalinna@uef.fi.

Abstract: Background:The neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has previously been shown to be rather common among the elderly. Objective:The aim of this study was to inspect the associations between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AD biomarker concentrations, age, the APOE ɛ4 allele, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cognitive performance in a cohort of a neurologically healthy population. Methods:This study included 93 subjects (42 men, mean age 67 years) without previous neurological symptoms or subjective cognitive complaints. Their cognition was assessed, and CSF biomarkers and APOE ɛ4 status were analyzed. Results:Of the studied subjects, 8.6% (n = 8) had a pathological CSF AD biomarker profile. An increase in age correlated positively with CSF tau pathology and negatively with global cognitive performance. Conclusion:AD-type pathological changes in CSF and subtle cognitive impairment are common within a population with no previous memory complaints. Age was the main risk factor for the changes.

Keywords: Aging, Alzheimer’s disease, apolipoprotein E4, cerebrospinal fluid, cognition

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-170534

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 165-174, 2018